How MQM lost a supporter

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For the second time in me life, I went to a political jalsa. The first time was when MQM first won elections in Karachi. I remember stuffing into the trunk of my car with my cousin, both males and females, chanting slogans “Mahajiroan ka superman, Altaf Husain Altaf Husain”. But the Superman has really disappointed so many of his supporters who came in large numbers at the Pakistan Tehreek I Insaaf Jalsa. This disappointment is largely because of the lack of any principles or political stance that this party has displayed, trying to hide this wavering under “expediency”. Politics IS the art of the possible but to constantly stay aligned with the ruling party and keep changing its stance to do so reflects defensive posture of a party which feels that to survive , it must stay in power.



This behavior has alienated a lot of MQM voters which have found an alternative party to support in PTI. Let me tell you a thing about Imran Khan. I have never been a big fan of his. I found him to be arrogant as a cricketer and I found him as wanting to stay in the limelight at the cost of other players in the team; an authoritarian of sorts as the cricket team captain. However, with PTI, I believe he has struck the right balance on the political spectrum. I believe him to belong to the center-right and this is what has appealed most to potential voters. Someone who is educated; has had a lot of foreign exposure, has himself been a party individual of sorts and yet very clear in taking a rightist position on the political spectrum. It fascinates me when people call him a hidden mullah; who would have imagined that Imran khan would be called as such one day. So his acceptance of Pakistan as an “Islamic State” and his soft corner for the Pakhtoons in FATA area who as he rightly says are, at the end of the days, are Pakistanis. And surprisingly, despite or as some may say because of his religious leaning, he has become the young, urban, educated voter’s candidate. And this, in my opinion, is yet evidence that Pakistan is a Muslim country and not just a country of Muslims.

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